Anthony Clark (Illinois)
Anthony Clark (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Illinois' 7th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on March 17, 2020.
Clark completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Clark was a Democratic candidate for Illinois' 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House. Clark lost the primary on March 20, 2018.
Biography
Clark served in the U.S. Air Force from 2003 to 2009. He graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a B.A. in communications in 2008 and from the University of Phoenix with an M.A. in criminal justice in 2009. In 2011, he graduated from the National Louis University with an M.A. in special education, and in 2014, he received an M.A. in educational leadership from Roosevelt University. As of his 2020 campaign, Clark’s professional experience included being a high school teacher, founder and director of the Suburban Unity Alliance, and co-owner of Neighbors United LLC.[1][2]
Elections
2020
See also: Illinois' 7th Congressional District election, 2020
Illinois' 7th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 17 Democratic primary)
Illinois' 7th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 17 Republican primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Illinois District 7
Incumbent Danny K. Davis defeated Craig Cameron, Tracy Jennings, Deirdre McCloskey, and Richard Mayers in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 7 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Danny K. Davis (D) | 80.4 | 249,383 |
 | Craig Cameron (R) | 13.3 | 41,390 | |
 | Tracy Jennings (Independent)  | 6.2 | 19,355 | |
| Deirdre McCloskey (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| Richard Mayers (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| Total votes: 310,128 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 7
Incumbent Danny K. Davis defeated Kina Collins, Anthony Clark, and Kristine Schanbacher in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 7 on March 17, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Danny K. Davis | 60.2 | 79,813 |
 | Kina Collins | 13.9 | 18,399 | |
 | Anthony Clark | 13.0 | 17,206 | |
 | Kristine Schanbacher | 13.0 | 17,187 | |
| Total votes: 132,605 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 7
Craig Cameron advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 7 on March 17, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Craig Cameron | 100.0 | 3,799 |
| Total votes: 3,799 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Illinois District 7
Incumbent Danny K. Davis defeated Craig Cameron in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 7 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Danny K. Davis (D) | 87.6 | 215,746 |
| Craig Cameron (R) | 12.4 | 30,497 | |
| Total votes: 246,243 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 7
Incumbent Danny K. Davis defeated Anthony Clark in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 7 on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Danny K. Davis | 73.9 | 81,570 |
| Anthony Clark | 26.1 | 28,867 | |
| Total votes: 110,437 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ahmed Salim (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 7
Craig Cameron defeated Jeffrey Leef in the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 7 on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Craig Cameron | 56.3 | 3,706 |
 | Jeffrey Leef | 43.7 | 2,873 | |
| Total votes: 6,579 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Anthony Clark completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Clark's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
The issues we face as a society are interconnected and therefor, require interconnected solutions. Within the 7th district & beyond, hard working community members are struggling to keep a roof over their heads, food on their tables, & their loved ones safe from violence. In order to directly address these issues, our top priorities are to ensure that everyone has a fundamental right to housing, everyone has a fundamental right to medical care, & that everyone has a fundamental right to an education, as well as employment that pays a livable wage.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
As issues are interconnected, I am passionate about all policies & look to improve in areas of knowledge, as well as ability to be an ally in verb form on a daily basis. In saying that, the areas of public policy that I am most passionate about, that I believe will lead to the type of systemic change that will empower the people are, our environmental policy, education policy, criminal justice policy, defense policy, civil rights, & drug policy.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
I look up to my mother and father. My parents are selfless individuals who have dedicated their lives to providing, as well as creating opportunity for myself and others. They purposefully exposed me to all aspects of life so that I could experience and learn firsthand how wealth disparities and demographics help to determine an individual’s possibilities. My parents went without food, so that I would not go hungry. They went without material things, so that I could obtain a quality education. My mother and father worked countless hours, so that I would not go without a roof over my head. Their level of sacrifice has shaped who I am as a person and I truly believe that service to others is the rent we pay for room here on this Earth.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
If I could pick one publication that I believe best encompasses this movement & my philosophy, it would be The War On Neighborhoods, Policing, Prison, & Punishment in a Divided City by: Ryan Lugalia-Hollon & Daniel Cooper. The opening of the text provides a quotes from Charles Mills, The Racial Contract, "Without the will required to see that which is obscured, we will continue to produce & reproduce human beings & social relationships rooted in inequality & captivity." I believe that Anthony Clark 2020 campaign is about speaking 'truth to power,' while educating & empowering community members to not only no longer accept status quo, but to end it & realize a society of equality, free from captivity.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
I believe good elected officials are genuine, honest, compassionate, aware of their strengths & weaknesses, individuals who can follow, strong communicators, leaders with clear visions, strong listeners, individuals with empathy, & individuals who value diversity.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I believe that I am a hard working, honest, genuine, & compassionate person who recognizes & celebrates the importance of diversity. I have dedicated my life to working within intersectional movements as an ally in verb form, as well as directly oppressed in efforts to realize systemic change. I am focused on the empowerment of others, not myself.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
The founders wanted the House to be the legislative chamber closest to the people. In my opinion, it is impossible to be closest to the people, if as an elected official my core responsibilities are not based on listening to, working with, & fighting alongside the people for their empowerment. There should be no other influence beyond the will of the people I represent. No policy should be created, supported, or voted on without efforts to educate, learn from, & work with the people to ensure said policy is in the best interest of the people.
What legacy would you like to leave?
I would love to leave a legacy of systemic change. As a collective, those who believe in human rights, including myself have failed to change individual aspects of our overall system, which I believe is built on a foundation of White Supremacy. I want to leave a legacy that clearly communicates I stood in solidarity & fought with those who accomplished an entire system change in which all people have access to life, liberty, justice, happiness, & opportunity.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
The first historical event I can vividly remember is the violent beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles Police Department officers in 1991. I was 9 years old glued to the television screen with my parents as reports of the incident poured in. That was the first time I truly ever feared the police & from that moment, felt that I nor anyone else should have those feelings.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
My parents believed in instilling strong values in me. I obtained my hard work ethic from both my mother & father. My first two jobs were at the age of 14. My mother signed a work permit for me & I worked part-time at a local pet store, as well as senior citizen building cleaning & organizing. I maintained both those jobs until the age of 16, when I was hired at a local grocery store.
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
I recently watched The Two Killings of Sam Cooke on Netflix. Sam was a true force to be reckoned with & his song, A Change is Gonna Come, is stuck in my head on a daily basis. For me, the song not only serves as a 'battle cry,' of empowerment, but also as a testament of what true courage looks like. Sam was a crossover success & releasing such a song put his success in jeopardy. However, Sam knew that in order for true change to occur, we have to be willing to risk & sacrifice our own personal gain for the good of the collective. These are thoughts I continue to live by.
What process do you favor for redistricting?
I believe that redistricting is a mechanism utilized to manipulate our elections by allowing incumbent politicians to help partisan allies, hurt political enemies and choose their voters before the voters choose them. The current process is used as a means to further political goals by drawing boundaries to protect incumbents and reduce competition, rather than to ensure equal voting power and fair representation. There are multiple reform approaches to redistricting & to garner my support, the approach would have to be one that maximizes citizen participation & independence from legislative pressure.
If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
When I become the next representative of the 7th District, or I should say when 'we,' become the next representatives of the 7th District, as this campaign truly represents the community, the committees (most reps serve on 1 or 2) I as a representation of the people would most like to serve on are: Education & Labor, Natural Resources, Veterans' Affairs, Ways & Means, & Oversight & Reform.
What are your thoughts on term limits?
I 100% support term limits, as term limits strengthen Democracy by directly addressing the influence of incumbent politicians & special interest groups that continue to ignore the will of the people. Term limits would counterbalancing incumbent advantages, ensure congressional turnover, secure independent congressional judgment, and reduce election-related incentives for wasteful government spending. One of the major issues within the 7th Congressional District & beyond is the inability of entrenched incumbents to welcome new & fresh ideas as the wills of communities change.
If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?
I believe that leaders come in many forms, with many styles and diverse qualities. Recognizing the strengths I bring to the table in building strong coalitions as a teacher, activist, & community organizer, I would look to serve as a leader in impact Democratic leadership in whatever capacity would allow me to help push for systemic change.
Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
The reason I originally chose to accept the community nomination to run for office, is because in my lifetime, I have yet to meet or know of a representative, that I believed truly represented the people & placed the needs of the people above party affiliations. As a good friend of mine who happens to be an awesome woman leader says, "I have declared my allegiance to the issues, not to parties." I am an individual focused on changing issues on a systemic level & up until 2018, I didn't know of any representatives that truly inspired, as well as motivated me. Now, powerful & inspiring Representatives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, & Ilah Omar give me hope for the future, as well as motivate me to continue to rock the boat in a push for change in my district.
Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?
I have been a teacher for 9 years & in those 9 years, I have lost numerous students to gun violence. In 2016, a day before his 17th birthday, Elijah Sims, a student I had grown close to was murdered due to senseless gun violence. Elijah was a young man who could brighten everyone's day with his smile & who loved his family. Elijah worked a part-time job, had recently fallen in love with a classmate, & was looking forward to eventually graduating high school. Simply by making the choice to go visit family & friends in the Austin community, Elijah was an innocent bystander caught in senseless gun violence. Following Elijah's death, my organization held a vigil to honor his legacy. There I met Elijah's mother & family. From that moment, Elijah's mother & I became family & we have sense dedicated ourselves to bringing his murderers to justice, while also proactively fighting to end gun violence in our society. The stories Elijah's mother shares with me about him are always my favorite as each helps to keep his memory alive, while also providing the renewed energy required to maintain our fight.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Clark’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Healthcare We currently spend more on healthcare per capita than any other country on earth- while still leaving over 28 million of us insured, and millions more underinsured. Anthony believes that to fight this we must acknowledge healthcare as a human right, and establish a single-payer insurance system. Under Medicare For All, care would be free at the point of service and everyone would be covered, without exceptions.
Sanctuary The right to sanctuary is the right to live without fear. As ICE continues to terrorize immigrant communities, and police all over the country continue their assault on black & brown people, we need leaders and lawmakers who recognize sanctuary as a human right. Housing Saying Housing is a human right means the government has an obligation to guarantee all people a safe, affordable place to live. We must stop putting profits over people, and that means installing regulations like rent control, and investing public money to make quality housing available to everyone. Let’s build homes for working families, not assets for investors. Jobs Black workers face unemployment at roughly twice the rate of white workers at all levels of education. In addition, the threat of unemployment/joblessness is what gives employers all their negotiating power over low-wage workers. We live in the richest nation in the history of the world, we shouldn’t accept anything less than a full employment economy. The right to a public job means you are guaranteed a job that pays a livable wage, no matter what. In addition to increasing workers’ bargaining power over things like benefits, hours and wages, a federal job guarantee will lower the crime rate, improve mental health, and create a stronger sense of community. Education The privatization and divestment of education within the United States has reached an all-time high. To Anthony, this is unacceptable. Education should be at the forefront of all elected officials’ priorities. As a teacher himself, Anthony knows that it is teachers who should be driving our education policy. Nobody knows what students need to succeed better than the educators who spend every day with them. Justice “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Our country’s founders put these words in the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and yet today, over 200 years later, these rights continued to be denied. Anthony Clark’s campaign is calling for the establishment of authentic and actualized justice for all- justice that empowers ALL people, not just those who can pay for it. |
” |
| —Anthony Clark[4] | ||
Ballotpedia biographical submission form
The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:
| “ | What is your political philosophy?
IL-7 is a district of hard working, diverse fighters, but you would not know it from our current representation, who for over two decades has watched over a community that continues to lose residents due to high crime, a struggling economy, minimal jobs, school closures, and an overall lack of investment. Anthony decided that IL-7 could do better. We can champion education reform, criminal justice reform, an end to the war on drugs, retroactive legalization of cannabis with a focus on empowering the hardest hit communities, Medicare-for-All, a Federal Jobs Guarantee, tuition-free college and trade schools, criminal justice reform, public education reform, reparations, a Green New Deal, and a fight to end hate, as well as oppression. We are fighting to create liberty, justice, happiness, and opportunity for all people no matter who they are or where they are born. Is there anything you would like to add? My grandma Lil used to say, ‘Many hands make light work.’ Changing our community for the better cannot be done alone, but together we can truly make a difference. Join the campaign, volunteer, spread the message, and donate. Our many hands will lead to a true power shift in our community, because when WE organize, WE fight, and WE win. All Power to the People![3] |
” |
| —Anthony Clark[5] | ||
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted on Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form on July 5, 2017
- ↑ Anthony Clark 2020 campaign website, "Meet Anthony," accessed March 15, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Anthony Clark 2020 campaign website, "Issues," accessed March 12, 2020
- ↑ Information submitted through Ballotpedia's biographical submission form on April 30, 2019.
